Entrepreneurship: it’s the spirit of America and a word you need to sound out as you write it to be sure it’s spelled right. And even then it doesn’t sound right. What does it mean in our household? It means Child Harbat sets up a lemonade stand to tap into the literally five to ten people a day who walk past our house. And the perfect time to do this is the week AFTER the massive heat wave and wildfires, when it’s gotten windy and chilly. But she has a secret weapon: cuteness. Who doesn’t want to buy lemonade from her?
From a taste standpoint, she had a winning product: a fresh lemonade/limeade fusion not over sweetened. Despite her ten cent price she got a few customers who couldn’t wait to overpay for their tepid limeade. She made out with a few bucks but honestly never counted or coveted her earnings, and was originally going to supply it free until a neighbor convinced her to bump it up to a dime. For CH the biggest issue was pleasing her customers. She was especially concerned about a pair of women who strolled by and said they’d come back later to buy some lemonade. All afternoon she manned her station, refusing to eat lunch and requiring force to take her on an errand with Mama. But not before she put up a sign saying she’d be back in an hour. And is it me or does this face look totally stoned? “Be back…whenever…”
Mostly I’m happy to see her striking out on her own. The stand, the recipe, the decorations, all were her idea. And honestly, the limeade was delicious. I drank most of it myself.
Writer, architect, father, husband.